


He reached out

by tkdgrl223



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Baseball, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Teacher!Dean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-27
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-04-01 11:42:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4018453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tkdgrl223/pseuds/tkdgrl223
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three months after the accident which orphaned Claire Novak, her guardian and uncle Castiel arranges a meeting with her favorite teacher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He reached out

“Alright you can go.” Mr. Winchester yelled over the bell and zipping backpacks. The last class of the day was over and he couldn’t wait to get out of there must as much as the students did. 

Shuffling through the many papers on his desk to find the ones he needed to take home, he did not notice Claire approach.

“Mr. Winchester?” the teenager asked. 

“Claire, what can I do for you?”

“My uncle wants to have a meeting with you. I’m not sure what about.”

“Of course. Um let me check my schedule.” He flipped through more papers until finding his planner. Dean wondered what her uncle could wish to discuss. Claire is one of his best students, if not the best. “Either next Tuesday or Wednesday evening would work for me. Tell me tomorrow what works for him.”

“K,” she shrugged and left. 

 

*********

 

“Mr. Winchester?” A shouted from across the baseball field. Dean looked up and saw a man dressed in a suit and trench coat coming towards him. 

7:08pm _Shit! Parent-teacher conference._

“Dean, Claire’s uncle I presume?” He shook the extended hand, which he realized too late was just as sweaty as the rest of his body. 

“Castiel Novak. Yes, I’m glad to be able to talk with you.”

“Yeah I’m so sorry. I forgot about our meeting. We can sit on the bleachers.” He motioned towards the gate in the fence between the field and stands.

“I forgive you. Claire told me that you guys are preparing for the state championship.”

“Yeah, hoping for back-to-back championships.” Dean proudly smiled out at his boys.

“It’s encouraging to see that some teachers still are invested in their students.”

“Me too. The number of people who go into teaching without having a passion for it is just messed up.”

Castiel smiled at the response. The man was clearly exhausted, but was doing far more than required.

“I was a bit surprised when Claire said you wanted to have a meeting. She’s one of my best students.”

“I know, she’ll show me her papers sometimes. They are quiet impressive.”

“Then what exactly was it you wanted to talk about?”

“I wanted to thank you. You’ve shown a great interest in Claire and she’s starting to move forward. After the accident, surely you noticed, she was despondent. Her grades started slipping. I always ask how her day went. At first it was just ‘fine’, ‘alright’, ‘shit’, but then maybe two months ago she started talking about your class and how interested she was. Now she talks about her friends and the play she’s going to be in, yet she always mentions your class.  
"I don’t know what you did, but thank you. Thank you for helping my niece in this difficult time for us both. For getting her to open up again and start healing I am eternally grateful.”

Dean couldn’t stop a tear from being shed. 

“Coach! There’s no crying in baseball!” One of the players jeered from the infield.

“Lukas ten laps!” He shouted without turning from the pair of blue eyes. “I’m sorry. As a teacher you always hope to hear something this. To truly reach a student and get them invested in themself. I’m glad Claire has found her way once again.”

“May I ask? How where you able to reach her? I tried, but she never was receptive.”

“I lost my mother when I was fourteen. She always stressed the importance of my brother and my education, but after she died I stopped caring. I did some questionable things until one day my shop teacher pulled me aside and had a genuine conversation with me. It was the first time it felt like there was an adult who gave a crap about me.” 

_Why am I telling him all this? We’re suppose to be talking about Claire._

“I could understand what she is going through. I waited for a good day to reach out to her. I kept encouraging her in class and talked with her over lunch when she wanted."

“I’m glad she found someone to talk to.” Cas closed his eyes. His head lightly nodding. How he wished she would talk to him about these things.

Dean recognizes the signs all too well. He grabs Cas’s hand, “Hey, don’t think that. You’ve been there for Claire in every way possible. She understands what you're going through. She didn’t want to unload everything onto you when you are already dealing with so much."

“I just wish she’d tell me share of it with me.”

“Maybe you should tell her that. You need to grieve too. Bottling it all up for her sake is not the best plan.”

“I think I will. This weekend is their anniversary, so I’ve been planning something special. Thank you for everything. I should let you get back to your practice."

“Right practice.” Honestly he had completely forgotten about the fifteen boys throwing balls aimlessly on the field. "If there is anything you need don’t hesitate to call me.” Dean smiled as he entered in his number.

“I will and Dean I’d glad to have met you.”

Dean jumped off the bleachers, his smile gone by the time his feet touched the ground.

“Alright boys stop fooling around! Back to practice."

 

******

 

Claire was lounging on the couch waiting to ambush him.

“So how was Mr. Winchester?” she asked the second he walked through the door, slamming her laptop closed in the process.

“Sweaty. He was in the middle of practice.”

“Oh-“ she sounded disappointed, “So you didn’t get to talk with him?”

“No, I did. He understands my interest in your schoolwork.” Cas sat at his niece’s feet. 

“So why did you want to talk to him anyway?”

“To thank him. Since you’ve been talking with him- I can tell it’s helped you immensely. I know it can’t be easy losing them and you worry about me, but you’ve been so strong. Jimmy and Amelia would be-“ he wiped the tears from his eyes. Claire sat up and wrapped her arms around him. “They’d be so proud of you. They loved you so much Claire. I love you too.”

“I love you too Uncle Cas.” 

She pressed her head into his chest. Together they didn’t say a word. They knew what the other was feeling. Love. Grief. Sorrow. 

After a minute Claire pulled back, but she left one hand on his shoulder and looked him directly in the eye as she said "And because I love you I’m gonna tell you that you should text Mr. Winchester.”

Cas tilted his head.

“I think you guys could make a cute couple.”

His exaggerated expression of shock and a bit of sass, “Oh do you. Do you think I’m that bad that I needs my seventeen year old niece to set me up?”

“Mayyybeee. You haven’t been in a relationship in three years. I really think you two could work.”

“It wouldn’t bother you if I reach out to him?”

She just gives him a blank stare, “First off who even says ‘reach out’ any more and secondly if I did you think I’d tell you to call him?”

“No,” he sheepishly responds.

“NO! So either you call him or I will for you.”

Cas pats his pockets for his phone, each turning up empty. Claire smirked holding it.

“Give it here!” As he stretched to reach she turned and shoved her knees up against his chest.

“Promise you’ll call?” 

Cas surrendered, “I will text him.” 

With her father's blue eyes she leered at her uncle. “Tonight?”

“Fine! Just give it here.”

With a smirk of accomplishment, Claire handed over the phone and headed upstairs grabbing her laptop on the way.

“Go do your homework!”

“I already did it!” she shouted down.

 

********

 

It was nearly nine Dean called it for the night when his phone buzzed.

Cas: Ice cream? ;)

 _That man._ He shook his head. 

Dean hit call number on his phone. After hearing it pick up he didn’t wait for Cas to say anything. "Awesome timing. Just finished practice. How about pie? I know a great place."

"The Roadhouse?" Cas wondered.

"YES! How’d’ya know about it?”

“Jimmy and I would go there whenever I visited. Best burger I’ve ever had.”

“Dude you just got ten times more awesome. Meet me there in 40? I need a shower.”

“Won’t they be closing soon?”

“Nah, I’ll call Ellen and tell her that I’m coming. She practically family.”

“That sound great. I’ll see you soon."

“See ya soon Cas."

Both men hung up smiling, until the panicked realization that they were going on a date in less than an hour came over them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments and kudos greatly appreciated. I'm working on an epilogue, so we'll see how that goes.


End file.
